He Will Be Loved
by mdelpin
Summary: Natsu and Gray have been friends since a very young age but after Igneel died Natsu's life changed for the worse. Their friendship might be the only thing that keeps Natsu afloat. Ch 4. Natsu wakes up in the hospital confused and suddenly faced with an angry Gray.
1. Look For The Boy With The Broken Smile

Gratsu Weekend 2k19

Day 1 Prompt: Mischief

"I don't want to go," Gray whined as his father pulled him along to the school he would be attending starting the following week.

"I know, Gray," His father stopped and knelt in front of him, "This is just a playdate, it should be fun. Don't you want to meet other kids your age?"

"They're all going to hate me," Gray lowered his head and let his long bangs cover his eyes.

"I highly doubt that," His father lifted his chin with his index finger, peering into Gray's face and giving him an encouraging smile, "Now come on."

He hugged him tightly before getting up and once again pulling Gray towards the school.

Gray stood alone at the edge of the playground while his father went off in search of his Kindergarten teacher. He looked around, everyone seemed to already be in groups. No one looked his way until...

It all started with a smile.

A smile so radiant, and pure and just overwhelmingly happy that it nearly knocked Gray off his feet. He couldn't understand why all of that enthusiasm seemed to be directed at him, he was nothing special. But it drew him in, made him want to know the boy behind it and maybe step away from the gloominess that had taken over him since his mother died.

"Did you know that we get a snack, recess _and_ nap time?" The boy's green eyes had widened to such a degree that Gray was concerned his eyeballs might pop out any second. "Isn't that the best thing you've ever heard?"

"I think we're supposed to be learning stuff," Gray instantly replied and almost kicked himself when he realized how he sounded. He was a bit saddened, worried he'd just blown his chance to befriend this blindingly cheerful boy.

The boy stared at him, his unruly pink hair sticking out in all directions as he considered Gray's words silently before flashing that blinding smile again, "Well I guess that's alright too."

"My name's Natsu, what's yours?"

"I'm Gray."

"Hey Gray, wanna check out the playground with me?"

Gray wasn't sure if he should go, but one look at Natsu's face, at the excitement and the promise of mischief that was written all over it and he was powerless to resist. He felt the beginnings of a smile tug at his lips although it felt broken, months of crying had left him out of practice, and for a moment he felt lighter.

"Yeah!"

Natsu tapped him on his shoulder and yelled out "Tag, you're it!" before running off towards the playground equipment.

"Hey!" Gray shouted before chasing after him, his little legs running as fast as they could trying to catch up to Natsu, not wanting to let him win.

"Gotcha!" Gray reached out to tag him, but he was a bit overeager and managed to tackle him instead. They rolled around in the wood chips, and Gray worried that Natsu was going to be upset. He could see a scrape on Natsu's knee, and he tensed up, but to his shock, Natsu lay on his back laughing.

"Man, you got me good!" Natsu got up and shook all the chips off of him. "That was fun!"

Gray nodded slowly, still bewildered by this boy who was so reckless.

A tall red-haired man rushed over to where they were standing, and Gray flinched as he saw his own father hurrying towards them. Assured that their sons were ok, they began to talk together quietly.

"Hey Dad, can we take Gray out for ice cream?" Natsu proposed cheerfully, "He beat me fair and square."

Gray watched the red-haired man say something to his father, and after a short discussion, Natsu and Gray were headed to the ice cream parlor, their fathers walking slowly behind them.

"I'm going to beat you next time though," Natsu announced matter-of-factly.

"Next time?"

"Well yeah, we're gonna be best friends, doofus," And with those words he grabbed Gray's hand and yanked him along, pointing out all his favorite things along the way.

Gray never once thought to disagree, enthralled by Natsu's charisma since the moment they'd met.

Sometimes it was hard to believe they'd ever been that young and innocent. Back then he and Natsu had believed that problems would disappear just because they wished them to. That the promises of adults were absolute and that together he and Natsu could slay any monster. That death was nothing more than a temporary farewell, and no evil would ever befall them.

But now…now they knew better. They had learned that kids were powerless against the brutality of adults and that protecting what you held dear came with a price.

A/N This is part of a series.


	2. Tap on my Window, Knock on my Door

Gratsu Weekend 2019  
Day 2 Prompt: Crush

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima

Tap On My Window, Knock On My Door

It was a chilly summer night, the fan's rhythmic whirring lulling Gray to sleep. A soft tapping on his window caught his attention, and he looked out groggily, recognizing Natsu hiding in the bushes outside. Gray let him in without a sound.

He made room on his bed, waiting for Natsu to crawl in next to him like he'd done so many times before, but this time he didn't. Something didn't feel right.

Usually, Natsu would be almost bursting with excitement at sneaking out, and Gray would have to remind the giggling lunatic to be quiet lest they get caught.

Natsu wasn't bursting with excitement this time, he was standing quietly at the foot of Gray's bed wringing his hands nervously.

"Natsu?"

"Can- can I use your bathroom?"

There was something in that voice that filled Gray with a sense of dread, it was teary and meek and most definitely not at all like the brash and loud boy he'd counted as a best friend ever since Kindergarten. So he nodded and watched with concern as Natsu limped over to his small bathroom, closing the door behind him softly.

Gray heard the running water, and after waiting for what he thought was a reasonable amount of time for Natsu to come out, he decided to go see what was going on. He knocked gently opening the door to find Natsu sitting on the toilet sniffling in the dark.

"Natsu, what's wrong?"

Gray waited patiently for an answer, but when none came, he turned on the light. Natsu immediately turned away towards the wall. Overcome by that feeling of dread that had never entirely left him since Natsu's arrival Gray slowly walked over to his friend and looked to see what Natsu was trying to hide. There were cuts and bruises all over Natsu's face and around his neck. Some were still bleeding a bit.

"Who did this to you?" Gray demanded, but Natsu only stared back at him tiredly. Gray was filled with outrage, how could anyone do that to Natsu?

"I'm gonna get my dad."

"No, you can't!" Natsu's voice sounded hoarse as he grabbed Gray's arm and began to cry in earnest, "He won't ever do this again. He promised."

"But Natsu, you're hurt bad!"

"Please, Gray. No one can know. Only you." He begged Gray with big solemn eyes that were still trickling tears.

"Natsu, this isn't right."

Gray had never seen Natsu act like this before and it shook him. He was worried, but he didn't want to spook Natsu any more than he already was. He would keep Natsu's secret for now, but he told himself if it ever happened again he would definitely ask for help.

"I- I'm okay, I promise."

"Natsu-"

"I just want to go to bed Gray...please?"

Gray had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but Natsu had already shown that he didn't want to discuss it. Gray was scared, and he was angry, but mostly he didn't know what to do.

"Okay."

Gray grabbed Natsu's hand gently and helped him back to his bed being careful of the ankle Natsu seemed to be favoring. He let Natsu climb in first so he could have the side that was up against the wall. Climbing in after and covering them with his comforter, Gray couldn't help but think of all the times that Natsu had cheered him up when he needed it. This time it would just have to be his turn, for Natsu.

Gray put his arms around his friend and cuddled him, which was something he'd never done before. Maybe he was imitating his father's actions when he was hurt, or perhaps it was the beginning of something else, Gray didn't know. What he did know was that Natsu hadn't cried since his father had died three years ago and Gray wanted to protect him from whoever had done this to him.

But all Gray could do was remind Natsu that he was safe and loved and pretend not to hear his crying. He held Natsu against him and whispered stupid things in his ear to try to get him to laugh. Eventually, they fell into a restless sleep, but when Gray awoke in the morning, Natsu was already gone.

Gray always wondered if his ten-year-old self had done the right thing by remaining quiet. Even though it was what Natsu had wanted, what good had it done them? Gray had lost count of the nights they'd spent this way, him holding onto an injured Natsu, terrified that this time might be the last, yet helpless to do anything. He wasn't sure how many more nights Natsu could endure before there was nothing left of him to save.

What would Natsu be like now if Gray had just gotten his father that night or any other? Would his smile be the same he'd once known? Would his eyes still be vibrant and full of mischief? The guilt of his inaction ate away at him, and he cursed himself for being so weak to Natsu's pleas.

No matter how noble Natsu's intentions were, there could only be so much more he could take before he broke. What would become of them then?

Gray didn't want to continue grieving for someone who was still alive. He wanted to take Natsu away from his pain and build him back up to what he'd once been. To make him forget all the cruel words he'd been told and kiss away all the scars that he'd only ever entrusted to Gray.

Yes, Gray was determined to save Natsu, only then would he be able to confess his love to the only one who'd ever held his heart. He only hoped he'd be loved in return.

A/N: Next up will be It's Not Always Rainbows and Butterflies and it will catch up to real time.


	3. It's Not Always Rainbows and Butterflies

Gratsu Weekend 2019

Day 3 Prompt: Soft and Destiny

It's Not Always Rainbows and Butterflies

Gray woke up to an insistent tapping on his window. He knew it wasn't Natsu because he'd given up on locking his window a long time ago, just left it unlocked for his friend to crawl through when he needed to.

He wiped the sleep out of his eyes and quickly got out of bed to see who was visiting him so late. Wendy Dragneel was standing outside his window, and she looked terrified. There was blood on her clothes and she was crying, her body shaking as the sobs escaped her.

"Wendy!" Gray quickly opened the window, "What's wrong?"

"You need to help him, please!" Wendy wailed, "Something's wrong, he can't get up."

Gray grabbed a pair of sweatpants off the floor and found some shoes. His heart was racing, and his chest felt like there was a tremendous weight on it, but he kept moving, trying hard not to think about what he might find.

_Please God, let him be alright. I promise if you just get him out of this in one piece I will get him help, even if he hates me for it._

He felt a strange calm descend upon him, "Is your uncle awake?"

Wendy shook her head, "I waited until he passed out to come get you."

"Where's Natsu?"

"He's in my room," Wendy sobbed, "My uncle was trying to… and Natsu he- I begged him to stop but..."

"Shh, you know he can't do that," Gray leaned out his window to pic her up and pull her through, setting her on his bed. He hugged her hoping to give her some comfort, although he knew she was too worried for it to do much good. "Everything's going to be alright. Just stay here, I'll be right back. If my dad comes in..."

He paused for a moment to think about what he wanted to say. "Tell him everything."

Gray was done fucking around. It's not that he believed in destiny or anything like that but having Wendy be the one to come get him felt like a sign that things had gone far enough.

He exited out his window and began to run as fast as he could. Natsu had come to him in some pretty bad states over the years, to have Wendy say he couldn't get up was scaring Gray shitless. He struggled to control his racing thoughts, to just focus on getting to Natsu's house as quickly as possible. The distance between their houses had never seemed so far. He pushed himself to run even faster, driven by his ever-growing worry.

He finally reached the house, immediately noticing it had fallen into disrepair. It saddened him to see it, Igneel had loved his home and his family with all his heart, he would be devastated if he knew what had become of both.

Gray peered into all the windows, but when he finally found Wendy's, it was locked. He saw Natsu lying on the floor in a small pool of blood and immediately became frantic.

He ran over to the front door, praying it was unlocked although he'd happily break it down if he had to. He worried Natsu's uncle might have awoken and part of him wished for it, he would love any excuse to unleash his anger on the person responsible for putting Natsu through so much.

Gray had to fight every single instinct he possessed to keep from rushing in, he knew he had to go in smart. He paused to take some deep breaths before turning the knob slowly, opening the door as quietly as he was able. He stood still, waiting for his eyes to get used to the dark before hurrying to Wendy's room. Her bedroom door stood open, and he rushed to Natsu's side.

"Natsu," Gray called out, his voice barely above a whisper, "Can you move?"

"Gray?" Natsu's voice was strained, and Gray immediately sought out one of Natsu's hands with his own, lacing their fingers together and squeezing gently.

"I'm here."

Gray felt a squeeze in response and fretted about how weak it was.

"Wendy?" Natsu panted out with difficulty.

"She's okay," Gray assured him, squeezing his hand again, "She's at my house."

"I did it, I kept her safe." An impossibly serene smile bloomed on Natsu's lips. It softened his features and made him look so much younger. It was the closest to Natsu's real smile that Gray had seen in a long time, yet it filled him with dread. It felt like Natsu was saying goodbye and he couldn't bear it.

Gray kissed Natsu's forehead gently before studying him, trying to figure out where the blood was coming from and striving to stay calm, even though all he wanted was to pick Natsu up go, "Don't talk anymore, we need to get you out of here."

"Can't move, everything hurts," Natsu tried to smile again, "I'll be okay, get out of here before he comes back."

"I'm _not_ leaving you," Gray growled in protest, "How can you even ask me to?"

"Don't want you to get hurt." Natsu's words came out in shallow pants, his breathing becoming even more labored. Gray was torn between feeling exhilarated at Natsu's obvious concern for him and panic at his rapidly deteriorating condition.

"Well, isn't that touching, the fairy is worried about his little boyfriend," Gray stiffened as he heard the mocking voice not far behind him. He'd been so focused on Natsu he'd never even bothered to keep track of any movement in the house.

He turned his head to see the outline of a man standing in the doorway. It was too dark to get a good look at his features, but Gray could tell that he was tall and appeared to be well built. The alcohol on his breath was still pungent enough that Gray could smell it. He held what seemed to be a beer bottle in his hand as he walked into the room and attempted to get closer to Natsu.

Gray let go of Natsu's hand and stood up, assuming a defensive stance. He was more than ready to fight if it came down to it.

This man had spent the last six years chipping away at Natsu both physically and emotionally, destroying everything he'd been and leaving only a shadow of his previous self, all in a bid to get at Wendy. Gray hated him with all his heart.

"Get away from him boy, I'm not done with him."

Gray bristled at being called boy. He could feel the rage boiling within him, urging him to destroy this man. To inflict on him a thousand blows, one for each time he'd dared lay a hand on his beloved.

"Stay away from him," Gray roared, his body a coiled spring just waiting for Natsu's uncle to make a move to snap.

The sounds of sirens cut through the tension in the room, and for a moment Natsu's uncle seemed unsure, but he moved forward with a speed that did not seem possible given how drunk he appeared.

Gray was already getting ready to push kick him when the light in the room was turned on, and as they all blinked to get used to the sudden brightness, a body rushed in and tackled Natsu's uncle to the ground. The beer bottle broke, spilling its contents on the floor and filling the air with its bitter smell.

"Get the hell away from my son," Silver Fullbuster growled, angrier than Gray had ever seen him. Natsu's uncle seemed confused by Silver's presence, and Silver used it to his advantage, quickly reaching down and grabbing him by his collar. He pulled Natsu's uncle up to a standing position and threatened him with his fist.

"Just give me a reason." Silver snarled as the man tried to shake off his hold. He shook the man roughly.

Gray was having trouble reconciling his mild-mannered father with this angel of wrath that had appeared out of nowhere to smite Natsu's uncle.

"What you tried to do to these kids...you're lucky you're Igneel's brother; otherwise, I'd have no trouble killing you." Silver spat in the man's face.

"Dad?!"

Silver ignored him for the moment, it seemed his anger was not limited to Natsu's uncle but he spared a worried glance at the boy lying on the floor. "Natsu, hold on son, an ambulance will be here any second."

"Did you hear that, Natsu?" Gray turned his attention back to Natsu, only to find him lying unnaturally still, his skin had acquired an unhealthy blue tint. He grabbed Natsu's wrist to try to feel for a pulse, but he couldn't feel anything, his own heart was beating too fast.

_No, he had to be alright! He was free now, they both were. It couldn't end like this!_

This time there was nothing to stop Gray from shattering, his tears flowed hot even though inside all he felt was a debilitating cold. He quickly grabbed Natsu's hand in his, seeking out the comforting warmth he'd grown so used to. To his relief, he saw that Natsu was still breathing, although they were very shallow.

That's when Gray felt arms gently trying to pry him away, and he fought against them, vaguely hearing his father asking him to stop.

"You need to let us help him, son," A paramedic smiled at him kindly, his face blurry amidst Gray's tears. He let himself be led away while two other paramedics began to work on Natsu, speaking in a language too technical for Gray to understand.

Gray nodded, not really hearing the words but understanding that they could help Natsu. There were policemen in the house as well, and he wondered how all these people had come in without him noticing.

The paramedic handed him over to his father who immediately surrounded him in a hug and let him cry on his shoulder. "Shh, he's going to be okay."

Gray nodded once again, watching as the paramedics attached lines to Natsu's arms and put a brace on him, gently sliding him onto a stretcher. They rushed him off in an ambulance, and all Gray could do was watch them drive away, sirens blaring, before a host of policemen descended upon him, asking questions that were not able to pierce through his haze.

A/N We are now in real time. Last part will be Want to Make You Feel Beautiful


	4. Want To Make You Feel Beautiful

Gratsu Weekend 2019

Day 4: Hope

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong To Hiro Mashima

Natsu was incredibly thirsty, that was the first thing that registered in his somewhat confused mind. He couldn't exactly feel anything, but he could also tell that he was hurt. Not just from the memory of what had happened, but from the way that his body was resisting any attempt at movement, letting him understand that if he did try to move, he might come to regret it.

The last thing he remembered was the brief feeling of happiness as Gray kissed him on the forehead right before his uncle came into the room. His brow furrowed in worry, knowing how rough his uncle could be. Was Gray okay?

He could hear beeping noises, and the unpleasant smell of disinfectant filled his nose. He opened his eyes slowly to see he was in a dimly lit room that was filled with machines. Blinking a few times to get his eyes going again he took in his surroundings. Wendy was fast asleep, her head cradled on Silver Fullbuster's chest, his arm wrapped protectively around her.

Natsu decided to try moving his lips to smile at Gray's father who was smiling at him from his place on the small sofa in his room. He needed to ask him about Gray, he figured Silver would not look that calm if Gray were injured, but Natsu needed to know because Gray was important to him, much more than he'd ever let on to anyone outside of Wendy.

"Gray?" He posed the question with a scratchy voice, the need to make sure that his crush was safe taking precedence over knowing what had happened. In retrospect, he should have asked for water first but he had priorities, and he'd already ascertained that Wendy was okay.

His innocent question had unexpected results.

"Don't you Gray me, you inconsiderate bastard! Do you even know what you put me through?"

Natsu heard Gray's voice coming from his right side and turned his head slowly to see his very agitated friend glaring at him and from his experience gearing up for a rant.

"What are you-" Natsu valiantly tried to head him off.

"Shut up! I'm talking," Gray scolded crankily, "Six years Natsu. That's how long I've been forced to watch that son of a bitch beat you within an inch of your life. I fucking love you, you asshole. Do you have any idea how much it hurt me to see that?"

"And then, just when I thought things couldn't get worse, you almost fucking die on me and you had the nerve to lay there smiling at me like it's no big deal?" Gray continued spouting his feelings to anyone who would listen, days of sleep deprivation and stress clearly being too much for him to handle.

"Did Gray just say he loves me?" Natsu looked over at Silver in disbelief, talking over Gray as he continued to rant, seemingly oblivious to the fact no one was listening to him.

Silver nodded, looking mildly surprised but not shocked, "He hasn't slept since you've been in here, his brain will catch up eventually."

And apparently it did because all of a sudden there was silence, and when Natsu looked back over Gray had covered his mouth with his hand, his entire face flushed a rather interesting shade of red that made Natsu feel as if he could get through anything. He got up from his chair and walked out of the room without saying another word leaving three pairs of eyes staring after him.

"Should I go after him?" Natsu asked Silver.

"Outside of the fact that you're not allowed out of bed at the moment, he'll be alright. Probably needs to absorb what he just did. You know he's not great with feelings," Silver looked back at the door a smirk tugging at his lips. Wendy had begun to stir in his arms no doubt awoken by Gray's outburst.

"Is Natsu finally awake?" She asked groggily and sat up.

Silver got up from the sofa and pushed the Nurse call button on the wall. He informed the nurse that Natsu had awoken and headed out of the room. "I'll leave you two to chat for a minute, and I'll go ahead and check on Gray," he assured Natsu with a smile.

"You, don't try to get up," Silver narrowed his eyes at Natsu, and the turned to level his eyes at Wendy, "And you, don't hug him too hard."

Natsu tried to concentrate on whatever Wendy was trying to tell him, but all he could hear was Gray saying _I fucking love you, you asshole_ over and over. A smile played on his lips, it wasn't anything like how he'd hoped or expected to find out about Gray's feelings for him but he sure as hell wasn't complaining.

"Have you listened to a word I've said?" Wendy pouted crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Mhmm," Natsu answered, and when she rolled her eyes at him he finally remembered his thirst, "Can you get me some water?"

Wendy hmphed at him but did as he asked. He was sipping his water when the door opened, and a nurse and doctor came in. He could hear people arguing outside the room and knew he couldn't avoid reality for much longer.

O-o

Natsu woke up with a desperate need to throw up, he tried to sit up quickly to find something to do it in but that only made the sensation worse.

"Fuck," He commented as his sudden movement introduced him to a myriad of aches big and small.

"Don't move, dumbass," Gray handed him a plastic container, and he accepted it gratefully, "The doctor said the anesthesia would make you feel sick when it wore off." He moved Natsu's hair away from his face as he vomited. When he was done, Gray took the container without comment and headed to the bathroom returning with a glass of water.

Natsu drank the water gratefully, taking small sips. He looked around the hospital room, "Where's Wendy?"

"She's at your house grabbing some of your stuff, the police had to go with her since her room is a crime scene," Gray explained, "My dad's with her."

Natsu nodded and looked Gray over, he still looked tired, but he'd lost some of the edginess from before, "You look better."

"Yeah, Dad made me go to sleep while you were in surgery," Gray scratched his head in embarrassment and grinned sheepishly, "I'm sorry I went off on you, I was pretty out of it."

Natsu laughed weakly, "Nah, it's fine. I'm sure I deserved it. I don't really remember much of what happened, I kinda passed out." He felt strange, like something was missing and when he tried to figure out what that could be, he began to blush furiously.

"Natsu?"

Natsu sighed, "I know this is stupid but can you get on the bed with me?"

Gray peered at him, confusion written all over his face, but he shrugged, taking off his shoes and climbing on the narrow hospital bed, being careful of all the cables and bandages. "Is this better?"

Natsu nodded looking away from him as he explained, "It didn't feel over yet."

"What?"

"It never felt over until I got to you, no matter how bad it was, once I was with you, I knew I was safe," Natsu stumbled over the words, embarrassed at how childish he sounded.

He felt Gray settle himself next to him and say, "It's over Natsu, he'll never lay a hand on either of you again."

"Yeah, but what I was afraid of all this time is gonna happen anyway," Natsu said sadly, thinking of what the Social Services lady had told him, "We're wards of the state now, and we might get separated and then who knows what awful place they might put us in."

Natsu wanted to cry, he felt like such a failure. He'd put up with his uncle's bullshit for so long to keep Wendy with him and with less than two years to go, he'd failed miserably.

"What are you talking about?" Gray moved impossibly closer, and to Natsu's surprise his smell somehow helped ease his upset stomach, "You're not going anywhere, didn't anyone tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"My dad's petitioned for temporary custody of both of you. The judge approved it last night," Gray thwapped Natsu gently on the head, "As soon as you're better you're going to be moving in with us. We'll have to go to court to get permanent custody, but my dad said his lawyer didn't think there would be any opposition."

Natsu thought over Gray's words, it had been years since he'd been able to think of the future with anything but fear and dread. He dared to hope that maybe, just this once, things were finally going to go well for him and Wendy.

"Listen, about what I said yesterday I just want you to know it's okay if you don't feel the same way, I won't be weird about it or anything," Gray mumbled, his voice getting lower as he continued talking.

Natsu finally turned his head to look at Gray and his heart positively melted at how sad Gray looked. "And you say _I'm_ a dumbass," He snorted, wincing at the pain using those muscles caused him.

Gray gazed at him in confusion.

"Do you have any idea how far my house is from yours?" Natsu asked.

"Not really, I never thought about it, it felt long the other night but I was kind of panicked so, " Gray continued babbling, and Natsu didn't stop him, enjoying watching the expressions that flitted across his face as he talked.

"It's just a little over three-quarters of a mile," Natsu informed him, "Think about that for a moment, every time I was injured I chose to walk three-quarters of a mile to get to you. Why would I do that, cause I enjoyed your snoring?"

"I don't snore," Gray protested.

"How many people have you slept with?"

Gray's face once again turned that lovely shade of red Natsu had glimpsed when Gray had inadvertently confessed his feelings. "N-none," He managed to stutter out.

"You snore, deal with it," Natsu remarked matter-of-factly, selfishly pleased at the answer. He searched for Gray's hand and squeezed it tightly, "I've been in love with you for a long time, Gray. I _chose_ to walk those three-quarters of a mile because you made everything better. You were the only happiness I ever claimed for myself."

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

"Honestly, no," Natsu hurried to explain when he saw how dejected Gray looked. "I was such a mess, and I thought you deserved better, someone that had something to offer you that was more than broken pieces."

"I've never cared about that, Natsu," Gray insisted, "When we first met, I was the broken one. You were the one who put me back together, remember?"

"You weren't broken, just lost," Natsu nuzzled his head against Gray's, "Best decision I ever made." Natsu smiled remembering their first meeting, "I love you, Gray."

"I love you too," Gray laughed as he looked at their joined hands, "Holding hands feels very anti-climactic."

"Well yeah, but it kind of hurts to breathe and I just threw up so it'll have to do," Natsu groaned to make his point, "For now."

Natsu grinned impishly, "But I won't be in the hospital forever, and now I have incredible motivation to get better."

Gray snorted, and fake punched him on the shoulder.

Natsu laughed, he was happy, but he was also tired, and as he was falling asleep he snuggled up to Gray. He knew what was coming next wouldn't be easy, there were a lot of things he still had to deal with, but he couldn't help but feel excited for this new, unexpected turn his life had taken.


	5. Had Some Trouble With Himself

Gratsu Bingo 2019

Prompt: Dance

They'd had to move to a new house. With Silver being responsible for three kids now, he felt it would be better to move to a home closer to his job. That's what he told them, but Gray knew better.

They'd needed a house that was closer to the hospital. Natsu's injuries had been more extensive than they'd thought at first. If his uncle had managed to get him just one inch to the left Natsu might have been in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. As it was, even after many surgeries, it was very likely he would have to use a cane for the rest of his life. For someone as active as Natsu that news was devastating.

No more running, no more wrestling with Gray for fun and always getting tired quickly due to the effort it took for him to move his legs. His physical therapist was optimistic that with continued therapy, his mobility would improve considerably, but it was hard to look to that future when everything now was so damn hard.

It also didn't help that the trial had just started. Silver, Gray, Wendy, and Natsu had all been interviewed by the lawyers, for days on end. Even though Natsu and Wendy's names had not been released to the public because they were both minors, they lived in a small town. Everyone knew what had happened, some of them had even seen it coming but had been unable to stop it. Reporters were permanently camped on their front yard, hoping to get a quote or a picture fo the news.

Gray parked his Jeep at one of the paid spots by the beach and watched Natsu for a few minutes before getting out and grabbing a blanket from the trunk. He strolled, giving himself time to try and understand what Natsu was doing.

"Hey," Gray greeted before setting the blanket down on the sand and sitting down. He brought up a hand up to shade his eyes. "Your therapist said you had a rough session, shouldn't you be resting?"

Natsu only gave him a frustrated grunt, doggedly continuing to move along the shore using his cane for balance and support.

_Tag, you're it!_

Gray could remember so many afternoons spent playing tag when they were kids. Natsu had always loved to run, loved the feel of the wind in his hair as he pumped his arms, pushing himself to go faster and faster.

When he was older, he'd started running to cope with his feelings, saying it helped to quiet his mind and work his way through problems. He never went out for the track team though, perhaps knowing it was unlikely he'd be able to compete, given the number of times he ended up injured.

He saw Natsu stumble and quickly got up to approach him. "Stop this! Just sit down for five minutes."

Natsu glared defiantly, but Gray only smiled at him gently, "I'll make it worth your while."

Natsu allowed himself to be led to the blanket, Gray knew better than to offer to help, so he sat down and let Natsu figure out how to get himself down. Once he'd plopped down, Gray grabbed his hand and squeezed it, letting Natsu cuddle up to him. He wanted to kiss him, but he thought Natsu was still too worked up for that.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Natsu shook his head, but Gray could see the barest hint of tears.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Gray pleaded, "You know you can tell me anything. I've always kept all your secrets."

Natsu gazed at him, his expression guarded before sadness clouded his features. "It's just, you asked me to Prom, and I want to go, but I don't want yet another reason to be a spectacle. I wanted to be able to dance with you, and the therapist said he didn't think my legs were strong enough for that yet."

"Is that why you're here exhausting yourself?" Gray groaned," Natsu, I don't care if all we do is stand around, I just want to go with _you. "_

"I know, but you don't understand, everywhere I go all I hear is people whispering about Wendy and me. They pity me. Oh look, there goes that kid who was abused for years. I hate it! Lucy can't look at me without crying, even Erza treats me differently. Did you know she hasn't yelled at me once? She apologized to me yesterday for fuck's sake."

Gray chuckled, he _had_ noticed Erza was having trouble adjusting to Natsu's new situation. "You should count yourself lucky."

"I know, but I just want things to go back to normal, and they never will. _This_ is my new normal, and I know I'm lucky to be alive and living with you guys. But it's so hard!"

Gray couldn't find it in his heart to be upset with Natsu after hearing all that. He knew his boyfriend was having trouble adjusting, but he'd never heard him state it quite so bluntly. Gray got his phone out and looked through his phone for a song. She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5 began to play.

"Well, I think your therapist is full of it," Gray helped Natsu get up, grabbing his cane and dropping it gently on the blanket. He held on to Natsu's waist firmly with one arm and used the other to place Natsu's arms around his neck. Once he was sure Natsu was holding on to him securely, he brought his arm down to join the other around Natsu's waist.

He swayed them together in place gently, singing along to the music.

_I don't mind spendin' everyday _

_Out on your corner in the pourin' rain_

_Look for the boy with the broken smile_

_Ask him if he wants to stay awhile_

_And he will be loved, and he will be loved_

"I love you, Doofus," Gray gave Natsu a lopsided grin, "We can already do this, and this is all I need."

Natsu's entire face lit up at the realization that he _could_ dance with Gray, and Gray had no choice but to kiss the fool out of him. His arm snaked up to cup Natsu's face. His lips seeking out Natsu's as they continued to sway along to the song.

"I love you, too," Natsu replied simply, too overwhelmed by the moment to say anything else.

Gray continued singing.

_I know where you hide alone in your car _

_Know all of the things that make you who you are _

_I know that goodbye means nothing at all _

_Comes back and makes me catch him every time he _

_Falls_

It was a fitting song for them. Gray knew Natsu better than he knew himself sometimes, and he would continue to be there for him.

Gray would make sure that for the rest of his life, Natsu would be loved.


End file.
